Saving Bullets

Okay, I’ll admit it. I have a few guns around the house. What the hell? I grew up in the woods in Arkansas, had my first BB gun at five and my first .22 at nine. By the time I was twelve I had a 30.06 rifle and a 12 gauge shotgun. And those were just the long guns. I gave up hunting years ago, but now that I’m in my sixties I have a few more guns in the safe, along with a few rounds of ammunition just in case I decide to go to the range and murder a few paper targets. How many rounds of ammo? Well, let’s just say you wouldn’t want to be among the first couple of thousand bad guys to try to break into my house.

Okay, I haven’t always “hoarded” ammunition. Then again, I didn’t always maintain a fairly large bankroll stored in a separate banking account. Back in the day my bankroll fluctuated substantially, from whatever I had in the bank to whatever I had the balls to draw a marker on. You see, a marker is essentially a sight draft – a check – that you have about a thirty day “float” on before the casino cashes. In those days most of the casinos were moving toward corporate ownership, so you rarely got a visit from a collector. I can happily say I never got a call from a collector. Nor did I bounce any markers. I’ve always had enough cash flow to cover my markers. But there have been a few times when I’ve cut it close.

In the nineties, when the riverboat casinos first started opening in Louisiana, I went from being a four to six times a year junket player to being a once or twice a week local player, and that’s really what led me to open a separate gambling bank account. I decided I could no longer risk not having sufficient cash in the household account to cover my markers, and I couldn’t afford the vig on credit card cash advances. The logical choice, then, was to start “hoarding” cash for casino play.

At first I just designated one side of the home safe as the casino bankroll side. Then, I began to fill it up. I started out filling it with rolls of coin from casino free play coupons I’d received. This was back before anyone had come up with the ticket out – ticket in concept. One Shreveport casino sent $20 in Free Coin every week. One national chain, which honored coupons from its sister properties, sent me around $200 in cash and coin a month. The other casinos in the market all had their own offers. Except for rare occasions, 100% of this money went into the safe.

Eventually I had more money in the safe than I felt comfortable in keeping at home, so I opened my first bankroll-dedicated checking account. Believe me, when I had the check’s imprinted with “Steve Heavy Haltom – Special Casino Account” the folks at the bank looked at me like I was nuts. But for me it was important that I see those last three words every time I opened the checkbook. Why? Because this money was dedicated to casino play. It was not for paying bills, spending on vacation, or replenishing our household account. We had one account for gaming and one account for the household – and neither was to be used for the other. Of course, having “Special Casino Account” also removed any temptation my bride might have had to write a check on the account. She would have been too embarrassed to use the account because someone might think she had a gambling problem.

Having a separate account for gaming offers both peace of mind, and a sense of freedom when playing. Yeah, the casino has you out-manned and out-bankrolled. They can run in new dealers on you every twenty minutes and call for a chip fill at will. But you hold a stronger hand. You can quit while you are ahead. You can take the money and run. They have to stand there – 24/7 – working the long run grind the house uses to beat the players. With that said, if you are trying to operate on a short bankroll you are short-changing yourself.

I have found plenty of ways to add to my bankroll through the years. I look for “found” money. Whenever I write a check in the household account I “round up” the amount I write in the check register. At the end of the month, when balancing the checkbook, I may have accumulated an additional $8 – $12 over what’s showing in the register. I write myself a check for that and into the gaming account it goes.

If I get an unexpected dividend check off of one of my investment accounts I’ll deposit half in my gaming account and split the remaining half with my bride. The same goes for my casino winnings, by the way. Half gets plowed back into bankroll. The other half gets split between my wife and I.

Garage sale profits? Split with the gaming account.

Recycled aluminum can money? 100% to the gaming account.

You name it. Even when ammo is in short supply you can find a few bullets on the shelves. Get in there and get some. Then put them in a separate account. It will pay you dividends when the bad guys have you beaten down.

Dice Control Seminar DVD

Heavy's Axis Power Craps Dice Control Seminar is now available on DVD!
This is the breakthrough video that sent the competition back to the drawing board. This was first professionally produced DVD demonstrating the mechanics of a controlled dice shot. Here are a few of our customer comments on the DVD:

Heavy doesn't just tell you what to do - he SHOWS you what to do."

"The other guys promised me gold - Heavy delivered."

"Heavy has thrown another winner!"

"Fixed my toss and made me a winner."

This DVD includes the portion of the seminar that deals specifically with the mechanics of the grip and toss, along with roughly twenty minutes of tossing and coaching live at the craps table. You'll see Heavy and his students setting and throwing the dice with the camera running real time to show the results.

Altogether you'll receive almost three hours of player education featuring the best dice sets, grips, tosses, and more. In addition, we cover betting strategies, money management, discipline, focus, the mental edge, and playing the comp game to win. You'll also receive the e-versions of the seminar workbook, manuals from our other seminars, handouts and strategy cards as an added bonus. Order now and we'll also include a copy of Heavy's"Crapshooter's Buffet" audio CD - recorded live at the Las Vegas Craps Festival in 2001.

Order the Axis Power Craps Seminar on DVD via PayPal below for just $189.00 plus shipping and handling. US customers add $6 shipping and handling - $195 total. Canadian customers add $16 shipping and handling - $205 total. Order on-line via PayPal below:
APC DVD
The Axis Power Craps Clinic on DVD - it's the next best thing to being there!

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Heavy’s Axis Power Craps E-Book

Buy Heavy's Axis Power Craps Manual!
Axis Power Craps details five skill sets almost anyone can learn. Master these and you too can become a precision craps shooter. Order now and find out how!

Axis Power Craps includes betting strategies for every dice pre-set arrangement. Precision dice shooting works for both right-way and wrong-way play. Your package features an instructional 100 page workbook with dozens of photographs of dice pre-sets and grips. Each book comes with two shirt-pocket precision dice shooting strategy cards, as well as practice forms you can duplicate and use to record your rolls.
Axis Power Craps is just $19.95 in e-book format. You will receive the book via e-mail within 24 hours of making payment. The dice setting strategy cards will be sent via 1st class mail, so be sure to include your mailing address. Order on-line through PayPal at this link:

If you prefer to pay by check or money order, send your remittance to:

Steve "Heavy" Haltom
P.O. Box 7094
Tyler, Texas 75711

Be sure to include your shipping address and e-mail address for order confirmation.

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Heavy is Availble for Private Craps Lessons

Looking for private craps lessons to sharpen your skills? Heavy is available for private lessons in his Craps Pit in East Texas, live in Las Vegas, Biloxi or Tunica, or right at home in the comfort of YOUR craps pit. A private lesson makes a great birthday or anniversary present and his highly recommended if you’re ramping up for an upcoming trip to Vegas.

3 hour Friends, Spouses and Significant Others Private Lesson for Two on Basic to Intermediate Craps and Dice Control - $599

6 hour Friends, Spouses and Significant Others Private Lesson for Two on Basic to Intermediate Craps and Dice Control – includes lunch - $899

8 hour “Six Pack” Group Private Lesson on Basic to Intermediate Craps and Dice Control. Up to six players can take over Heavy’s craps pit for a full-blown Axis Power Craps private seminar, including Heavy’s TrendMaster Betting Class as an added bonus. Price includes lunch and libations. Designated driver required. $595 per person with a four person minimum.

Looking for private lessons in Vegas, Biloxi, or Tunica? All classes conducted in a casino dealer school on authentic casino craps tables. You and up to six of your friends can take over the school for the day for the full Axis Power Craps private seminar – including Heavy’s TrendMaster Betting Class as a special bonus! That’s 8 hours of group time with Heavy. Price includes dealer school rental and a pizza lunch delivered to the school. $795 per person with a four player minimum. Add a live casino session with Heavy for just $100 per person more with a four player minimum. A 60 day advanced reservation is required to insure availability of the dealer school.

If you have a private table in your home and would prefer to take a class on it - private lessons are available for you as well. Final cost will depend on your location and travel expenses incurred relative to the class. A private Axis Power Craps class, including Heavy’s TrendMaster Betting Strategy training for you and up to five of your friends will likely run around $695 per person with a four person minimum. Final price will be determined at time of registration.

Please note: Classes are available on weekends only and must be booked a minimum of 30 days in advance. 60 day advance registration required for Las Vegas, Tunica, and Biloxi. Need more details? E-mail Heavy direct at axispowercraps@gmail.com with the Subject line: Private Lessons for an immediate response.

Axis Power Craps Dice

Axis Power Craps Dice!
Looking to sharpen your practice skills with regulation casino dice? Look no further. Axis Power Craps is proud to offer these beautiful 3/4 inch flush-spot, razor edge, high polished dice.
Created from an exclusive cellulose acetate formula developed to insure clarity, hardness and stability, these dice are milled to 1/10,000th of an inch and certified perfectly balanced. They are the perfect dice to take your practice sessions to the next level.
Each five-die stick is serialized and stamped with the Axis Power Craps logo. Designed with precision dice shooter practice in mind, these dice are only sold in two-stick sets containing one stick of red dice and one stick of green dice. Both sticks have matching serial numbers. Your cost? $39.99 plus $3 shipping and handling - just $42.99 total.
To order and pay by mail send your remittance payable to: